The Arcido Akra is a 35 liter, polished,
one bag travel backpack that has some unique features
and some smart functionality going on.
I'm Tom, the founder of Pack Hacker,
where we use our expertise and real world experience
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We have been testing the Arcido Akra for about a month now
along with the smaller daypack and the other items
within the ecosystem that go with it, so.
Excited to share all our thoughts with you, let's jump in.
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Overall this bag has a more minimal and professional feel.
The main fabric going on here is a 500D Kodra nylon.
The heather gray looks professional and it also
hides dirt when you're on the road,
which is a really great benefit
to the overall aesthetic of this bag.
At the time of this review, the heather gray colorway
is the only color that the Akra is available in;
we're curious to see whether they add
more colorways in the future.
First of all the zippers are colored to kind of
match the fabric as well as they are reverse coils
so none of the zipper teeth are actually showing,
this adds to the polished and streamlined look.
On top of that some of these zippers have welting as well,
so that's a tiny piece of fabric that sort of
goes over the zipper and hides it.
The positioning of the zipper gives everything
a kind of interesting and round look.
We have a couple issues with the access,
which we'll get into in a little bit,
but overall it gives everything kind of a
streamlined and unique look and feel.
From a branding perspective, we have a small logo
on the front of the bag here.
There is also a logo on the back panel,
and then a small Arcido logo mark on the shoulder strap.
With bags, beauty is always in the eye of the beholder,
that's why we decided to poll our Instagram audience
over @packhacker, and here are the results.
To be involved in future polls, feel free to go over
and follow us @packhacker on Instagram.
To wrap up the materials we have YKK zippers used across
the pack that seem a little bit small in some areas.
The hardware is a mix of DuraFlex and FastPros and we don't
have a lot of experience with the brand FastPros,
so time will tell on how that holds up,
however we've had really great luck with DuraFlex.
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Kicking it off with the external components,
starting with the harness system, the professional feel
continues to show here with the way that these straps
and the harness system has been designed.
The straps have this 500D Kodra fabric on the outside,
and on the inside there are some breathable mesh going on.
The foam used on the strap here is quite thick
and decently dense so it provides a comfy ride.
The sternum strap attachment point is hidden
behind this welted piece of fabric here,
and that continues to add a streamlined look to the bag.
Although it looks good, one of the problems with
the sternum strap here is the way that it attaches.
If you're an avid follower
of the Pack Hacker YouTube channel you'll know that we
sometimes lose sternum straps like this in testing
because the attachment point is not necessarily permanent,
it's just way too easy for this thing
to slip out on its own.
During our testing we have not had this sternum strap
fall out on either the Akra or the smaller Vaga daypack,
which we're gonna get to in a second, however,
just know that it is a possibility and with
the sternum strap design, we have seen that happen
on other bags we've tested in the past.
For the sternum strap buckle,
we have a satisfying, magnetic buckle going on.
We like that there is a strap keeper
to manage the excess strap, as well,
and there's some slight elasticity going on
in the sternum strap, too, which makes it
a lot more comfortable to use and a lot more versatile.
One other thing to mention here on the sternum strap
is that its easily swappable from the Akra
to the smaller Vaga daypack, so you can kinda reuse this,
add it to the smaller daypack
if you do want a sternum strap there,
you don't have to have a bunch of extra parts laying around,
although one might be nice
in case you lose the sternum strap.
We have a full written review of the Vaga
over at packhacker.com, so be sure to check that out if
you're interested in taking a look at the smaller daypack.
Moving on to the adjustability of these straps,
it is pretty standard, however we're a bit disappointed
that we don't have those elastic keepers
on these strap adjusters that we've seen
on both the sternum strap and the hip belt.
There's some nylon webbing at the bottom here,
for attaching an optional hip belt, and,
on me personally, it's more like a stomach belt.
I'm six foot two inches with a torso length
of 19.25 inches and the hip belt comes up very high,
like kind of above my belly button, it just
doesn't really work for me personally.
What a lot of other bags do to solve this problem
is that they offer multiple nylon loops
for attachment points, so, this one's pretty high up,
we'd be curious to see, in the next iteration
if they offer a loop maybe higher, maybe lower
for somebody that needs a little bit of a different
positioning on that hip belt, based on their torso length.
We also hae a couple of gripes with the hardware.
The DuraFlex gatekeeper that is used to attach the hip belt
is one of the hardest clips in the backpack business
to do and undo, not really knocking Arcido much for this
as it is a very popular choice with a lot of other bags,
but just to note, it's a little bit hard to get on and off.
The magnetic buckle on the hip belt doesn't seem to work
quite as well in this application either.
You typically want a hip belt very close
and tight to your body, and while this was tightened,
we typically found ourselves kinda poking ourselves
trying to get this magnetic buckle off.
A standard slide release buckle
would likely work better here.
On to the positives of the hip belt,
they have these nice little pockets here
that are used for more flexible or smaller items
like Chapstick, transit cards or extra cash.
All that can be held here, although you may not wanna
put your phone in there 'cause it's gonna be a little stiff
and the hip belt needs to contour to your body.
We also have those nice elastic keepers on the hip belt
which helps with strap management,
and the extra nylon at the attachment points
provides some flexibility for the hip belt.
Lastly on the harness system them is a pretty dense foam
going on here on the back panel that is lined with mesh.
It is nearly impossible to get away from sweaty back
with back packs but this definitely helps with airflow.
The grab handle on top is just the right size,
it's low profile and it has the right amount of padding.
Arcido really did this one right.
Opposite of that the bottom of the bag has a
higher denier fabric going on at the bottom here
for added durability as you're setting the bag down.
Now, the bottom this features a thin frame sheet
kinda going on to give it a little bit of structure,
however we haven't really noticed that's helped.
Generally this bag is pretty floppy,
kinda the back frame sheet is pretty lose as well,
so it's not gonna stand up on its own
unless you have like exactly rectangular and structural
padded packing cubes on the inside of this thing.
Not a deal breaker, but just something to note.
And lastly, the water bottle pockets on the sides.
Now, these are of ample size,
you can fit larger water bottles in here,
however the material and the stretchiness of the elastic
is very minimal, so, whereas, water bottle pockets
on other bags really grip that water bottle in place,
this one doesn't really do that great of a job,
so you kinda need a bottle with the exact size
to fit inside; oftentimes we found our bottles falling out.
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Some of the unique organizational features
and the design decisions are where this bag
really starts to shine, especially in the travel context.
With all of the pockets and compartments
going on with this bag, let's start with the stealth pockets
going on right behind the water bottle mesh.
The angled positioning of the zipper,
follows the water bottle mesh exactly
and we can definitely appreciate that minor detail.
The pockets going on here are bout the same size as the
water bottle mesh that you see on the exterior as well.
There's a top, quick-access pocket that's lined
with this felt-like material that's good for things
that are a little bit more delicate, so,
sunglasses, your phone, has ample space
so you can fit a decent amount inside as well.
Then there's a back, hidden pocket that is great for
items that require a little bit more security.
So, maybe your travel documents, extra cash, your passport.
Definitely a secure pocket, considering if you're
wearing this thing it is against your back.
You probably don't wanna put anything
too bulky or pokey in here, there's a kind of
thin frame sheet that this pocket goes behind that helps
a little bit but it's generally better for flatter items.
Now, opening up the bag, fully clamshelled at the back
gives us access to the laptop
organization features going on here.
We really dig this laptop harness,
and think there is some great thinking
going on with the features here.
First of all it offers a custom fit, which is gonna
work well for most laptop sizes under 15 inches.
You just un-Velcro the sides here,
slide your laptop in, Velcro it for a tight fit,
and then you are good to go.
Your laptop is suspended in the middle of the bag,
which is great, so in case you drop this thing,
the edge of your laptop isn't gonna hit the ground first,
it's gonna kinda be padded by the rest of the bag,
so it's a floating suspension design going on here.
And this pull cord at the top here does two things,
one, it helps with the laptop suspension,
and when you un-Velcro it and pull it up,
your laptop slides right out, making it very easy to grab.
Lastly this entire laptop harness is very easy to transfer
between the Akra and the smaller Vaga
that go along with this ecosystem.
There's some great, unique thinking here,
we like that Arcido didn't just play it safe, we like that
they're pushing the envelope and trying new things.
Behind the laptop compartment there are some
productivity organizational features going on here.
So, you have this mesh compartment here,
that's gonna be good for any types of cords.
You don't really wanna put anything too bulky in here,
so maybe some laptop chargers are okay, however,
flatter items are typically better.
There is a space for four pens, pencils, or styluses
going on at the top and then there is space
for a notebook here, maybe an e-reader or a smaller tablet.
Lastly there is a Velcroable pocket on the back of this,
good for flatter items, maybe any documents
that you're traveling with that have to remain flat.
The only grip with this organizational panel
is that this back pocket, the Velcro target going on here,
is a little bit hard to get exactly right, especially since
the pocket doesn't really have any structure,
the liner kind of flops around and it's hard to
Velcro it exactly back on the way you took it off.
Other than that, pretty great stuff going on here.
Back to the front of the bag, the last pocket on the front,
wanted to save this until the last, because,
this goes all the way down to the bottom of the bag.
Basically this pocket shape matches the front panel
of this exactly and it's also accessible
from the main interior compartment as well.
Now the shape of this pocket is a little bit odd
but we don't mind it much, considering that
longer, larger pockets like this are typically used for
stuffing in a jacket as you're traveling.
Opening up the main curved zipper,
which we like the look of,
gives us access to the main compartment.
With that main compartment there are some nice
zipper garages going on at the bottom here,
nice little detail.
When we open up the main compartment,
we are basically greeted with a giant bucket
and two compression straps.
The compression straps work really well for loose clothing,
however they work the best with Arcido's
included packing cubes, in this greater system.
The packing cubes are formed to fit which means that
one large and two smaller sizes will fit
perfectly inside of this bag.
Head over to packhacker.com for some notes on that,
we'll also link it in the YouTube description below,
as well as a link to the shoe bag and the wash bag.
Although the curved zipper provides an interesting look,
we found it harder to fully pack this bag
towards the bottom.
So, at the top it seems to kind of flow out
and there's a little bit more room.
At the bottom things are a little bit more tight.
Then, lastly, that front pocket on the outside
is also this mesh pocket on the inside,
so the pocket is accessible
from the interior and the exterior;
we think that's a nice little organizational touch.
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At the time of this review, we have been testing the Akra
for about a month, and the other packs and items
in the Arcido system for about two weeks.
So far so good on the durability front,
there are a couple of aesthetic blemishes on the exterior,
but really no loose threads or anything other
that's major to speak of at this point.
So, to wrap this thing up with some pros and cons,
starting with the pros.
The look is streamlined and considered.
The laptop harness is a great and customizable design,
based on the size of your laptop.
There's a lot of smart organization
going on here for travel.
On to some of the cons.
The sternum strap can fall off unexpectedly.
Lastly, it can be difficult to fill
the main compartment with the curved zipper,
especially towards the bottom of the bag.
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All in all the Arcido Akra is a thoughtfully designed bag
with the traveler in mind.
We like that they focus on a lot of design innovation here
from the curved straps to the streamlined look
to the customizable harness system.
We haven't seen these items in many other packs,
and they are pretty unique to Arcido.
With the sternum strap that's easy to lose,
you may not wanna stray too far from the city,
but his bag functions incredibly well for the urban focused
traveler on the lookout for a slick looking travel bag
and a great organization system to go along with it.
So, there you have it, our review on the Arcido Akra.
We would love to hear what you think in the comments below.
Thanks for keeping it here at Pack Hacker,
your guide to smarter travel,
we'll see you in the next video.